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Grief is very much a focal point in J.A Beyona’s moving and deeply inspirational fantasy-drama, A Monster Calls. Based on a novel written by Patrick Ness, the story, told through the eyes of a young teen facing some of life’s hardest lessons much too soon, is deeply unconventional in its setup, but profoundly effective in its execution.

However, although beautifully written and spectacularly shot, A Monster Calls is not an easy watch and its subject of choice and its profound and heartbreaking explorations might prove a little too dark and challenging for some to digest through this kind of medium.

The story is centered on Conor O’Malley (MacDougall); a young and a seemingly reserved teen growing up in a small town in Britain who is struggling to come to terms with the terminal illness of his single-mom Lizzie (Jones) who has been diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, his troubles extend beyond his life at home and pour into his life at school where a daily dose of bullying from unsympathetic classmates takes place almost every day.

Receiving very little help from his seemingly insensitive grandmother (Weaver trying her best to maintain a British accent), Conor spends most of his nights comforting his dying mother who, in return, tries her very best to keep an optimistic view on the situation. Things take a turn when Conor is awoken one night by a mysterious tree-like monster (voiced brilliantly by Liam Neeson) who informs Conor that he has come to tell him three stories, promising the young man that by the time he is finished, it will be Conor who will reveal some hidden truth. Welcoming his new best-friend into his life Conor, who is hoping that the monster might help him find a way to save his dying mother, soon comes to realise that things in life are a little bit more complex.  

Hidden messages and oblique metaphors are aplenty in Beyona’s cinematic endeavor, which attempts to depict the difficulties and the struggles of coping with grief with a story set around an unlikely friendship of a young boy and his mystical creature companion. Digging deep into the world of imagination, the storytelling manages to capture and balance both the beauty and the darkness of the story, with the monster – brought to life by a wonderfully-embracing performance by Liam Neeson – who serves to be the movie’s biggest strength.

The cinematography is equally spectacular with Beyona and frequent collaborator, cinematographer Oscar Faura, infusing plenty of creativity in the visually-inspiring imagery and illustrations – especially those taking place during the monster’s storytelling time – providing the movie with the necessary atmosphere throughout. 

However, there are times when certain segments of the movie feel a little forced and heavy-handed, but regardless of those minor flaws, A Monster Calls still manages to inspire, move and entertain. A box of tissues is essential.